Hide-and-Seek
Mark Towfigh
version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
was this object or zone called, and what was the game called? I place
my own answer to this question below, but try to think of your
experience on your own, before you read my response.
Really, think of it on your own first....
Ok, the zone or area I am talking about was usually the same as the
place the person who was "it" counted from, e.g. a tree. The zone was
called "gools", or perhaps "ghouls"? Touching gools without being
seen by "it" made you safe, but you also had to recite a small phrase,
namely, "My gools, 1-2-3!". The game was not called "Hide-and-seek",
but rather "Hide-and-go-seek".
--
Mark Towfigh, Racal InterLan, Inc. tow...@interlan.Interlan.COM
W: (508) 263-9929 H: (617) 488-2818 uunet!interlan!towfiq
"The Earth is but One Country, and Mankind its Citizens" -- Baha'u'llah
Bill Purves
>For those of you who played Hide-and-Seek as a child, did you play the
>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called?
>place the person who was "it" counted from, e.g. a tree. The zone was
>called "gools", or perhaps "ghouls"? Touching gools without being
>seen by "it" made you safe, but you also had to recite a small phrase,
>namely, "My gools, 1-2-3!". The game was not called "Hide-and-seek",
>but rather "Hide-and-go-seek".
"Gools" sounds like a childish bastardization of "goals." We (in northern
California in the 1940s) also tagged in at the point where "it" had
counted. We yelled "free" to become safe. "It" had to beat us to that
point, touch it, and yell "1-2-3 for <name>." The game was called "hide-
and-go-seek," but in our youthful ignorance we thought it was "hiding-go-
seek."
(bill)
--
William K. Purves (714) 621-8021
Department of Biology pur...@jarthur.claremont.edu
Harvey Mudd College PUR...@HMCVAX.BITNET
Claremont, CA 91711
David M Tate
chanted "Ollie Ollie in-come-free" when you touched it without being seen.
Southern Illinois, mid-'60s.
--
David M. Tate | "Tightrope walkers are not concerned with
dt...@unix.cis.pitt.edu | distance records."
"A Man for all Seasonings" | --Joe Haldeman, "Buying Time"
Philip Gladwin
Jamie Tedeschi writes
> Back when I was a kid WE called it Home base and had you yell "Ollie Ollie
> Oxen Free" to let the seekr know you were safe. The game was called
Home Free.
> What do you expect? I was 7 years old...
Reminds me of that Peanuts cartoon - I know you all remember it, and
perhaps someone has a more accurate recollection - where Lucy, being Lucy,
is bellowing a similar variation of the above phrase (as far as I know never
used over here in Inglaterra) over and over again. Then Charlie Brown
comes along and for one of the only times in the whole history of the
cartoon gets one over on her by telling her what she *should* be yelling.
It ends up with Lucy kneeling down, her head on her knees, her teeth clenched
in embarrassment. Hope it wasn't like that for you, Jamie. :)
Oh yes, the word we used for 'home base' on the North East coast back in the
late sixties was 'the Hob'.
--- Phil Gladwin
--- p...@uk.ac.cam.cl
p...@cl.cam.ac.uk
John David Auwen
>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called?
We called it "base" and usually yelled "safe" when we touched it. The
one who was "it" was usually hot on your heels. We called it "hide
and seek". The safe or base "zone" was usually a tree.
Dave Auwen
Taed Nelson
of Young Children_ or some such title by two people with the last name.
How are you going to find this book? It is in the list of references in
the monthly posting that someone started, so check there.
These people also broke it down geographically. The book is simply a wealth
of information and examples; I would suggest picking it up.
James V. Tedeschi
>For those of you who played Hide-and-Seek as a child, did you play the
>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called? I place
>my own answer to this question below, but try to think of your
>experience on your own, before you read my response.
Back when I was a kid WE called it Home base and had you yell "Ollie Ollie
Oxen Free" to let the seekr know you were safe. The game was called Home Free.
What do you expect? I was 7 years old...
Jamie Tedeschi
jam...@pawl.rpi.edu
"I never thought I'd see the day, when all my friends had gone away."
Steve Cavrak,113 Waterman,6561483,
"Home" or "home base" was a telephone pole with a street light.
(The game was always played at night.)
You could excape getting caught by running up and touching the
pole and yelling "Free".
"All-ly, all-ly in free" was usually the way of bring in the
kids who couldn't be found (unless the "mad butcher" got 'em!)
We had a team version called "Release." You could release members
of your team who had been caught by running up to "home" and
touching the pole and yelling "release!". (This was mostly a
running and sneaking game.) This was also a night time game.
There was a 10 o'clock "kerfew" -- the town siren blew and we
all had to go home. Don't know if it was a law or anything, but
all of the parents in the neighborhood settled on the "kerfew".
The day time version was either "Capture the flag" or "War". War
was a free for all played with popcycle bags filled with dirt.
Steve
Russ Kepler
>Back when I was a kid WE called it Home base and had you yell "Ollie Ollie
>Oxen Free" to let the seekr know you were safe. The game was called Home Free.
I understand (stood?) that the cry was a corruption of "All the,
All the out are in free" and that it was cried at the *end* of
the game.
But what do I know - all my brain cells were destroyed in the
1970's.
--
Russ Kepler - Basis Int'l SNAIL: 5901 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109
UUCP: bbx.basis.com!russ PHONE: 505-345-5232
Andy McFadden
>Back when I was a kid WE called it Home base and had you yell "Ollie Ollie
>Oxen Free" to let the seekr know you were safe. The game was called Home Free.
We also called it "home base," but it was "hide and seek."
The speculation on the "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free" (which I also had to yell) is
that it came from "All ye all ye out, in free." Except it was only yelled
when the game was over (so that everybody came in free). Anybody who
watches old Bing Crosby movies knows where this speculation comes from... :-)
>Jamie Tedeschi
>jam...@pawl.rpi.edu
>
>"I never thought I'd see the day, when all my friends had gone away."
Bummer.
--
fad...@cory.berkeley.edu (Andy McFadden)
..!ucbvax!cory!fadden
"UNIX was implemented on a 16-bit processor. Got a problem with that?"
Never Kid A Kidder
For those of you who played Hide-and-Seek as a child, did you play
the version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain
zone, or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If
so, what was this object or zone called, and what was the game
called? I place my own answer to this question below, but try to
think of your experience on your own, before you read my response.
I remember the following names for the same game: tin-tan-copper,
40-40, sticky-toffee. The seeker had to shout the name of the game
when starting to look (counted from home) and on seeing someone, and
the hiders had to shout it on reaching home (usually a tree, but could
be anything). I don't recall home as having a special name, however,
but they obviously have similar origins.
I presume that similar games can arise spontaneously in different
places with no connections; does anyone have any info on that? I
think the Aztecs played some sort of tennis. Also, sci.lang had a
discussion some time ago about the `nyer-nyer-na-nyer-nyer' taunt (the
tones of it) existing in several cultures, altho' it could be so old
that it originated in Africa; it's not really something you could ever
knowe for sure without a time machine.
S. Gwen Johnson
to fifty (if I remember correctly) All the kids in the neighborhood
ran and hid anywhere in the neighborhood. If 'it' caught you, you
became 'it' also, and had to help find people. Now since you were
hiding all over the neighborhood, you didn't see everybody who got
caught, so when you were trying to get back to the Home Base (a tree,
a Universal Law of Children's Games requires), you didn't know who was
it and who wasn't, so you had to sneak up and scope out the scene to
try and figure out who was safe and who wasn't. In the meantime, some
of the its were pretty cagy too, so they were out pretending to be
safe, and trying to trick you into getting close. IN a twist, the last
person home safe was it. That meant everybody had to sneak up to Home
Base as quickly and quietly as they could. It was a blast. By the
way, the game was traditionally played after dark by older children.
(preteens and young teens) It definitely had more spice than
traditional hide-and-seek, especially since you could break a leg
jumpy off the stone wall of the house across the street.
Gwen Johnson
s...@slc1.brl.mil
John Sparks
>The game was "Hide-and-go-seek", and the safe zone was "Home Base", and one
>chanted "Ollie Ollie in-come-free" when you touched it without being seen.
no Ollie Ollie in-come-free (actually I think it's ALL-y All-y in come free)
was yelled when 'it' gave (or already tagged someone else as 'it')
up and everyone could come out of hiding with out being tagged.
We always yelled "free" or "safe" when we touched 'home base'.
--
John Sparks |D.I.S.K. Public Access Unix System| Multi-User Games, Email
spa...@corpane.UUCP |PH: (502) 968-DISK 24Hrs/2400BPS | Usenet, Chatting,
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|7 line Multi-User system. | Downloads & more.
A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of----Ogden Nash
Jody Gevins
>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called?
We called it "base". You had to touch base in order to be safe. The
person that was "it" just had to tag you in order for you to be out.
The game was called "hide 'n seek" OR "hide 'n go seek" (we must've
been smart kids to know both :-)) It was "ringalevio" (sp?) that the
1-2-3 had to be called out in order to tag a person. We more often
played "freeze tag", what we thought more challenging and fun than
hide 'n seek.
-Jody
Erland Sommarskog
>For those of you who played Hide-and-Seek as a child, did you play the
>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called? I place
>my own answer to this question below, but try to think of your
>experience on your own, before you read my response.
("|" is a dotted "o" throughout this article.)
The game was called "dunkg|mme", or more complete "kurrag|mma med
dunk". ("Thump-hide" or "hide-and-seek with thump" for you who
don't speak Swedish. "Kurrag|mma" is vanilla hide-and-seek.)
The zone was called nothing particular as I recall, but it was the
same spot as the seeker stood counting on. When you reached the
spot, you shouted "dunk f|r mig" ("thump for me"). Often there
was a certain object at the spot, possibly just a marked area
on the wall which you had to touch - or thump. When the seeker
saw you he had to rush to the spot and shout "dunk f|r Nisse"
and if Nisse wasn't visible he had to say where you were. Thus, even
if the hider was discovered he could still save himself if he ran
faster than the seeker.
By the way, "g|mma" in "kurrag|mma" is "hide", but "kurra" has nothing
to do with "seek" as far as I know. Since "kurra" is old-day slang for
"prison", I guess it has to do with the place where you hide.
OK, go back to the English-speaking world now.
--
Erland Sommarskog - ENEA Data, Stockholm - som...@enea.se
In the real world there are no colours.
KENSHO@.Prime.COM
> A British study of this word usage can be found in the book _Verbal Lore
> of Young Children_ or some such title by two people with the last name.
> How are you going to find this book? It is in the list of references in
> the monthly posting that someone started, so check there.
Not sure what the 'list of references' is, but the book in question is
most probably 'The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren', by Iona and
Peter Opie. The publisher is Oxford University Press. In most bookstores
you'll probably find it next to that other Opie classic 'The Oxford
Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'. Both books are worth a long look.
Dave Seaman
ken...@s37.prime.com
Pete Levinthal
whenever someone got caught. We never had a home base, just have "it" count
"10 mississippes" and everyone else runs and hides. This was in Mid-north
Indiana in the 70s.
Pete
Phil Gustafson
Interesting. I was brought up in Belmont, MA, forty miles or so from the
original poster. My memories are like his: The game was "Hide-and-Go-Seek"
and "it" had to go home and say "My gools one two three."
Also, "Hosey" was a magic word. If you "Hosey"ed a new rule before
anyone else, that was a rule, or at least a basis for an argument.
Like "I hosey Phil can't play." I heard that too often. :-}
--
| ph...@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG | Phil Gustafson
| {ames|pyramid|vsi1}!zorch!phil | UNIX/Graphics Consultant
| {sgi|vsi1}!gsi!phil | 1550 Martin Ave., San Jose CA 95126
| phil@gsi | 408/286-1749
rb duc
>dt...@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes:
>>The game was "Hide-and-go-seek", and the safe zone was "Home Base", and one
>>chanted "Ollie Ollie in-come-free" when you touched it without being seen.
We said " Ollie Ollie ox-en free " - don't ask me how it got
corrupted in our neighborhood
R Ducoty
--
\\\
- - Richard Ducoty ..uunet!grumbly!root
_] Capitola, California ro...@grumbly.com
Beth Walker
>=========
>We said " Ollie Ollie ox-en free " - don't ask me how it got
>corrupted in our neighborhood
>
>R Ducoty
>
Interesting -- so did we. I grew up on Okinawa, my parents being in
Civil Service and stationed there. I finally found out that we were
supposed to be saying "All Ye All Ye Outs in Free".
______
Dan Mercer
:
:>For those of you who played Hide-and-Seek as a child, did you play the
:>version where a hider could become safe by running to a certain zone,
:>or touching a certain object (sort of like Kick-the-Can)? If so, what
:>was this object or zone called, and what was the game called? I place
:>my own answer to this question below, but try to think of your
:>experience on your own, before you read my response.
:
:Back when I was a kid WE called it Home base and had you yell "Ollie Ollie
:Oxen Free" to let the seekr know you were safe. The game was called Home Free.
The game was played in my parent's day (1920's) and they told me that
OLLI OLLIE OXEN FREE was a corruption of ALL THE ALL THE OUTS IN FREE,
which allowed all the other hiders to reach home safely.
--
Dan Mercer
Reply-To: mer...@npdiss1.StPaul.NCR.COM (Dan Mercer)
"MAN - the only one word oxymoron in the English Language"
Bill Phillips
Where I grew up in the 50's (Queens, NY), the phrase was "Home free all!",
or rather "Humphrey All!" (it took me a while to decipher that). That
game was generally called "Hide'n'seek", or "Hi'n'seek". There were
also numerous varieties of Tag, which I won't go into. I later (in
early prepubescence, roughly) learned a more involved Hi'n'seek called
"Ringalevio", but I don't remember the rules or artifacts at all, except
that it seemed to be played around apartment house complexes, rather than
around one and two family houses, for some reason, seemed to involve rather
more daring hiding places, and might possibly have been a team activity???
--
William F Phillips Sr. Engr. Development Systems Development Group
Xyvision Design Systems 101 Edgewater Drive Wakefield, MA, USA
uunet!contex!bill (formerly wfp@well & wfp@dasys1)
Gabe NEWELL
The way we played hide and seek at Travis AFB in california
was very boring. One person was it, they would go out and
try to find people, they never did, and you all died of boredom.
Instead we played "There's No Ghost in the GraveYard" where if
you wer caught, you were it, too, and could also hunt for people.
Actually the people who were it were the ones who hid. The people
who weren't caught yet started at home base, sang a song which
involved counting up to midnight, and then you went out looking
for people who were it, singing all the while "There's No Ghost
in The GraveYard". Once you got close to the ghosts, they would
jump out and give chase back to home base. The people who were
caught were ghosts as well, until the last person was caught and
they became the next starter ghost.
This was a lot more fun than Hide and Seek, because EVERYBODY got
caught in the end. "Cowards" would usually hang back to let the
more adventursome roust out the ghosts, giving them a better chance
of getting back to the home base.
Olly-Olly-Oxen-Free was what you yelled when someone had hid too
well in hide and seek and you were telling them to come in. Also
it was what you yelled when the people you were playing with ditched
you and ran off (so yelling Olly... meant you were either lousy
at finding people, or that you had been abandoned by your cohorts).
It was, therefore, rarely used.